On October 8, 2005, in Khartoum, Ivory Coast qualified for the first time in its history in the FIFA World Cup. The victory came as civil war raged on and clashes between supporters of Laurent Gbagbo and Alassane Ouattara had left thousands of dead in the country. From the locker room, Didier Drogba invited the players of the selection to kneel down and he called on all Ivorians to lay down their arms and organize elections.
Inspired by the journey of my grandfather John Brendan Kelly Sr, of my uncle John Brendan Kelly Jr, both Olympians, and of Prince Albert Istof Monaco, example of openness to the world and visionary of peace, I dreamed of competing in the Olympic Games from an early age. I developed a passion for several individual and team sports including swimming, fencing, pentathlon, athletics, handball, football and of course bobsleigh. During my participation in the Olympic Winter Games, I discovered a multicultural and united community.
“My experience in the Olympic Village during the Olympic Winter Games allowed me to meet athletes from other cultures and forge relationships on an equal footing. This learning has always been with me and has contributed to my understanding of the world as Head of State. On the occasion of the International Day of Sport for Development and Peace, I am raising my #WhiteCard to promote the universal values of sport “.
Abdulrahman, 37, used to be a farmer in his home country, Syria. Due the war he and his family had to flee Syria and ended up living in Zaatari refugee camp in Jordan. Abdulrahman, also called Jado, is a father of six children and three of them are training regularly in Table Tennis.
Noor, 24 years old comes from Daraa city in Syria. She studied until high school and since 2014 she has been involved in many sport activities in the camp.
She followed the football coach seminar of the UEFA Foundation, worked with La Liga Foundation for the coordination of football competition in the camp and was a fitness coach for Blumont before joining the Live Together program as a Table Tennis coach.
Ali, 28, comes from Daraa, a city in the southwest of Syria. Ali arrived in Zaatari Camp in 2013 with his family. He studied Civil Engineering in Damascus. He was interested in Kickboxing even before the project started. He used YouTube videos to learn the techniques. He has attended many educational courses in the camp provided by UNHCR and NGOs. Before joining the Live Together Program, Ali was a community center coordinator with Blumont and was involved in many volunteering activities in the camp. Today, he is the Head of Administration for the coaches of the program, involved in the translations and the monitoring of the activities.
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